ProTeam Van Gils ends strong Ardennes campaign with 11th at La Doyenne

Lotto Dstny has concluded the spring Classics in a strong way. Maxim Van Gils took an eleventh place at the end of his debut in a brutal edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. With also a 7^th spot at the Amstel Gold Race and an 8^th at Flèche Wallonne the past week, the 23-year-old Belgian finished his Ardennes campaign strongly. Also Andreas Kron battled for a top result in the final but crashed out of the chasing group on Evenepoel, who soloed to victory.

“I really suffered today, but in a Monument as Liège-Bastogne-Liège, you just have to empty yourself until the finish and that’s exactly what I did. This is a third nice performance in one week time, an 11^th in my Doyenne debut is a good result. I knew I was able to do this, but still I surprised myself during this Ardennes campaign”, said Van Gils after the finish of his first Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The fourth Monument of the season was with just under 260 kilometres of racing in the Ardennes a real war of attrition. During the trilogy Wanne – Stockeu – Haute Levée, the bunch was thinned out but it wasn’t until La Redoute that the race exploded. It was Evenepoel who accelerated and eventually finished off his solo effort. In a sizeable chasing group, Lotto Dstny teammates Van Gils and Kron battled for a top result. Van Gils sprinted to 11^th on the Quai des Ardennes, Kron was forced to abandon the race due to a crash in the final of his La Doyenne debut.

“On La Redoute, the pace was really high. I had to close a gap and when Remco accelerated I could keep my tempo but had to gasp for some air at the top. Together with Michael Woods, I could return to the chasing group and got back into the race. At the end, it really was a fight between depleted riders who constantly attacked each other and I could clinch 11^th place”, concludes Van Gils.

Andreas Kron could not reward a strong race at his Liège-Bastogne-Liège debut, the rider crashed in the final and did not make the finish. “I was talking in my radio, was holding the handlebar with only one hand, hit a pothole and crashed. Luckily, I’m okay apart from some abrasions and soreness.”

Images: Maxime Van der Wielen.